prestodb/presto · error · PrestoException

INVALID_FUNCTION_ARGUMENT

INVALID_FUNCTION_ARGUMENT

Error message

Start is null

What it means

The sequence table function (sequence(start, stop[, step])) requires non-NULL start, stop, and step scalar arguments. During analysis it unwraps each argument value and throws INVALID_FUNCTION_ARGUMENT if any is NULL. SQL NULLs passed as literals or parameters are rejected before execution.

Source

Thrown at presto-main-base/src/main/java/com/facebook/presto/operator/table/Sequence.java:107

                                    .build(),
                            ScalarArgumentSpecification.builder()
                                    .name(STOP_ARGUMENT_NAME)
                                    .type(BIGINT)
                                    .build(),
                            ScalarArgumentSpecification.builder()
                                    .name(STEP_ARGUMENT_NAME)
                                    .type(BIGINT)
                                    .defaultValue(1L)
                                    .build()),
                    new DescribedTableReturnTypeSpecification(descriptor(ImmutableList.of("sequential_number"), ImmutableList.of(BIGINT))));
        }

        @Override
        public TableFunctionAnalysis analyze(ConnectorSession session, ConnectorTransactionHandle transaction, Map<String, Argument> arguments)
        {
            Object startValue = ((ScalarArgument) arguments.get(START_ARGUMENT_NAME)).getValue();
            if (startValue == null) {
                throw new PrestoException(INVALID_FUNCTION_ARGUMENT, "Start is null");
            }

            Object stopValue = ((ScalarArgument) arguments.get(STOP_ARGUMENT_NAME)).getValue();
            if (stopValue == null) {
                throw new PrestoException(INVALID_FUNCTION_ARGUMENT, "Stop is null");
            }

            Object stepValue = ((ScalarArgument) arguments.get(STEP_ARGUMENT_NAME)).getValue();
            if (stepValue == null) {
                throw new PrestoException(INVALID_FUNCTION_ARGUMENT, "Step is null");
            }

            long start = (long) startValue;
            long stop = (long) stopValue;
            long step = (long) stepValue;

            if (start < stop && step <= 0) {
                throw new PrestoException(INVALID_FUNCTION_ARGUMENT, format("Step must be positive for sequence [%s, %s]", start, stop));

View on GitHub (pinned to 55bb57d202)

Solutions

1. Ensure the start argument is a non-NULL literal or expression, e.g. use 1 instead of NULL.
2. Wrap potentially-NULL inputs: since table function arguments are constant scalars, resolve the NULL in application code or with a default before building the query.
3. If the value comes from a parameter, add an application-side check/default (e.g. start ?? 1).
4. Fix the upstream expression or column that yields NULL for the start value.

Example fix

// before
TABLE(sequence(start => NULL, stop => 10))
// after
TABLE(sequence(start => 1, stop => 10))

// Reject NULL bounds before building the query:
if (start == null) {
    throw new IllegalArgumentException("sequence start must be non-null");
}
String sql = "SELECT * FROM TABLE(sequence(start => " + start + ", stop => " + stop + "))";

boolean isValidStart(Object start) {
    return start instanceof Long || start instanceof Integer;
}

try {
    runTableFunctionQuery(sequenceSql);
} catch (PrestoException e) {
    if (e.getErrorCode().getCode() == StandardErrorCode.INVALID_FUNCTION_ARGUMENT.toErrorCode().getCode()
            && e.getMessage().contains("Start is null")) {
        // substitute a default start (e.g. 1) and retry
    }
    throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling TABLE(sequence(start => NULL, stop => <value>)) or passing a NULL-typed parameter/prepared-statement placeholder as the START argument of the sequence table function.

Common situations: Binding an unset application variable as the start parameter; a NULL produced by a subquery/expression feeding the argument; COALESCE/defaults missing in generated SQL.

Related errors

• INVALID_FUNCTION_ARGUMENT
• Timeout is negative
• ALREADY_EXISTS
• FUNCTION_NOT_FOUND
• FUNCTION_IMPLEMENTATION_ERROR

AI-assisted analysis of prestodb/presto@55bb57d202 (2026-09-04). Data as JSON: /api/errors/82e5ea8ed987a86b. Report an issue: GitHub.